Firearm



G. S. LEWIS Aug. 16, 1938,

FIREARM Filed May 14, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 G. S. LEWIS Aug. 16, 1938.

FIREARM Filed May 14, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mm w fix 1 A V w 4 Em i @27 i H 5 W i A J rm w, a e I p. 3 m w@ w r kw, n

Aug. 16, 1938. G. s. LEWIS 2,126,788

FIREARM Filed May 14, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 cal Patented Aug. 16, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT @FFIQE FIREARM Application May 14, 1936, Serial No. 79,673

13 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved firearm, and one of its objects is to provide a simple and reliable firearm which may be produced at a low cost for manufacture.

Another object is to provide a firearm having a superior firing mechanism of a character which is economical to produce and which is reliable and effective in operation.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a superior firearm in which the cocking of the firearm members is accomplished by an improved construction and arrangement of parts.

Still another object is to provide a superior firearm of the breakdown type, in which the breakdown action thereof is facilitated by the firing mechanism.

A still further object is to provide a firearm having superior safety means for automatically guarding against the accidental or unintentional discharge of the firearm.

Other objects and advantages will appear to those skilled in the art from the following, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to those skilled in the artfrom the following, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the present invention includes all features disclosed therein which are novel over the prior art, and not elsewhere claimed by me.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a broken view in side elevation of a breakdown gun embodying the present improvements;

Fig. 2 is a view thereof, partly in side elevation and partly in vertical longitudinal section, and showing the buttand barrel-units in their normal positions immediately after the gun has been fired;

Fig. 3 is a broken view corresponding to Fig. 2, but showing the barrel-unit in its breakdown position with reference to the butt-unit;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the firing mechanism cocked preparatory to fir- Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a similar view taken on the line 6-8 of Fig. 4;

Fig. '7 is 'a broken horizontal sectional view taken on the line |'l of Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the barrel-locking member;

Fig. 9 is a similar view of the operating-lever; and

Fig. 10 is a broken perspective view showing the firing mechanism and associated parts.

The particular breakdown firearm herein chosen for the illustration of the present inven tion includes two major units pivoted together for relative movement. The rear unit of the firearm may for convenience of description be designated as the butt-unit and comprises as its main features a frame and a buttstock 2| rigidly secured to said frame. The complementary front unit of the firearm, designated for convenience of description as the barrel-unit, comprises as its main elements a barrel 22 and a forestock 23 removably secured to the under-side of the said barrel. The forward portion of the frame 2!] is of substantially U-shaped form in cross-section and includes a bottom-wall 24 and spaced-apart sidewalls 2525 providing an upwardly-opening recess or pocket 28. The recess or pocket 26, just referred to, is adapted to receive a rectangular barrel-coupling lug 21 depending from the underside of the barrel 22 adjacent the rear end of the latter and forming a rigid feature thereof.

The forward edge of the barrel-coupling lug 2! is formed with a transverse forwardly-opening notch 28, the forwardly-facing semicircular wall of which engages with and bears upon the periphcry of a fulcrum-pin 29 extending transversely of the frame 20 adjacent the forward end of its trough-shaped portion and having its respective opposite ends rigidly supported in the complementary side-walls 25-25 thereof.

The complementary side-walls 25--25 of the frame 28, as well as the bottom-wall 24 thereof, merge at their rear ends into a tubular portion 30 having a forwardly-facing standing-breach 3| against which the rear end of the barrel 22 abuts when the firearm is closed. Extending rearwardly from the substantially-tubular portion 30 of the frame are an upper butt-attaching tang 32 and a lower butt-attaching tang 33 respectively secured at their rear ends to a vertical spacingblock or pillar 34.

Mounted upon the upper surface of the tubular portion 39 of the frame 20 is an operating-lever 35 having a downwardly-extending cylindricallycontoured operating-head 36 projecting downwardly through and bearing in a substantiallyupper end of an operating-finger 39 upstanding from a barrel-locking member M. The said barrel-locking member MB is mounted for pivotal movement upon a transverse pivot-pin ii extending crosswise of the tubular portion 3!) of the frame 29 and rigidly supported by the respective opposite side-walls thereof,

The barrel-locking member M3 is provided with a forwardly-extending locking-nose 42' normally entering a locking-notch 43 formed in the rear edge of the barrel-coupling lug 2'! before .referred to. the locking-nose 42 of the barrel-locking member Ml into the locking-notch 13 so as to hold the butt-and-barrel units in their aligned positions, in which they are shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, the said barrel-locking member MI is formed in its rear face, near its lower end, with a rearwardly opening spring-receiving pocket i l receiving a helical compressionspring 45 having its rear end bearing against and looped around a transverse pivot-pin 46 mounted in the tubular portion 31] of the frame 20. l l

Mounted for pivotal movement upon the transverse pin 46 is an L-shaped tensioning-lever M having an upstanding-arm 28 and a relativelylong forwardly-extending arm 49. The arm 4 9 of the tensioning-lever 41 fits within a longitudinal notch 5! formed in the lower right corner of the barrel-coupling lug 21 and is depressed by the upper wall of the said notch for the purpose of tensioning a helical firing-spring 5i in a manner as will hereinafter appear.

The helical firing-spring 5i encircles a firingpin or plunger 52, the forward end of which is reduced in diameter to form a firing-point 53 projectable through a passage 54 in the standingbreech 3| to effect the firing of a shell in the chamber of the barrel 22 in a manner usual in firearms. The said firing-plunger or member 52 is formed -with a stop-flange or abutment 55 which is adapted to abut against the rear face of a stop-finger or abutment 56, which latter also acts on occasion as a shifter for the said firingplunger. The said firing-plunger extends through the stop-finger 56 with freedom for relative reciprocating movement with respect thereto. The stop-finger 56 extends laterally from a sheetmetal slide 5'! extending laterally with and to one side of the firing-plunger 52 and which is formed at its rear end with a tensioning-finger 58 extending crosswise of the firearm, like the stopfinger 55 before referred to. By virtue of its two fingers 56 and 58, the slide 5 serves when moved forwardly to tension the firing-spring 5i and when moved rearwardly to bodily shift the firingplunger 52 and its firing-spring 55 in the same direction. For purposes of description, the said slide will be termed a shifting slide or member.

The tensioning-finger 58 is formed with a keyhole-shaped notch 58 with which an annular clearance groove 58 in the firing-plunger 52 may be aligned during the installation of the said firing-plunger in the tensioning-slide 'l'. The rear portion of the firing-plunger 52 just forwardly of its contracted neck-portion 53 bears in the enlarged inner portion of the notch 58 The parts are so proportioned, however, that the neckportion 58 of the firing-plunger does not come into registration with the notch 58 under operating conditions, so that the firing-plunger is prevented from laterally escaping from the tensioning-finger 58.

The neck-portion 59 terminates at its rear end in a rearwardlyand inwardly-tapered annular For the purpose of yieldingly urging cocking-head 60 which on occasion is adapted to be hooked back of a cocking-finger 6| laterally offsetting from a sheet-metal sear generally designated by the numeral 62. In addition to the cocking-finger 6|, the sear 62 includes a downwardly-and-forwardly-extending arm 63 terminating in a laterally-bent finger 665.

The rear end of the sear 62 extends into a clearance-notch 65 formed in the side of the spacingpillar 34 and is pivotally secured to the said spacing-pillar by a screw-stud 66. The said sear 62 is yieldingly urged in the direction required to engage its finger 64 with the adjacent upper surface of a trigger 61 and to engage its cockingfinger 6| with the cocking-head Si], by a doublearmed sear-spring 68 looped around the screwstud 66 before referred to. The said sear-spring 68 has its lower arm 69 hooked over the arm 63 of the sear and has its opposite arm 10 bearing against the under side of the upper tang 32.

The trigger Bl above referred to is mounted for pivotal movement in a vertical slot ll in the lower tang 33 of the frame and is hung therein upon a transverse pivot-pin 12 mounted in the said tang and extending transversely across the said slot therein. In addition to having a usual depending finger-piece 13, the trigger is formed with a rearwardly-extending arm M against the upper surface of which rests the laterally-extending finger 64 of the sear 62. The arm M of the trigger 51 has pivoted to its rear end by means of a rivet 15 an upwardly-extending safety-arm or member 76 which when rocked forwardly as indicated in Fig. 2 is adapted to move upwardly into a longitudinal slot Tl formed in the upper tang 32 of the frame 20 and which when swung to its rearmost position, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, is adapted to engage with the under side of the upper tang 32 when an effort is made to pull the trigger 6'7. The bottom edge of the said safetythe lower tang 33 and limits the reverse swinging movement of the trigger 61.

For the purpose of shifting the safetyarm or member 16 into either one of its two extreme positions just referred to, the said arm is provided in its upper end with a coupling-notch (78 receiving the cylindrically-contoured lower end of a coupling-finger 19 depending from a safety-slide 89 mounted for reciprocating movement upon the upper face of the upper-tang 32 and extending downwardly into the longitudinal slot Tl therein. For the purpose of yieldingly holding the safetyslide 80 and hence the safety-arm E6 in either one of its two extreme positions, the depending coupling-finger 19 of the said slide is provided with a laterally-extending detent-pin Bl engaging with the free rear end of a crimped detent-spring 82 secured by means of a screw 83 to the under side of the upper tang 32 to one side of the slot ll therein.

For the purpose of supporting and guiding the shifting-slide 51 and hence the firing-plunger 52, the said slide has pivotally attached to its lower edge, adjacent its rear end, a supporting-link 84 which is also pivotally mounted upon the pivotpin 72 upon which the trigger 67 is mounted.

In addition to acting as a support and guide for the shifting-slide 51 and hence for the firingplunger 52 the link 84 acts as a safety-locking member by being provided with a rearwardlyextending safety-locking finger 85 which is adapted on occasion to fit under the forwardlyextending safety-locking finger 86 of the pivotal safety member 16. It will be noted that the arm 16 comes to rest against the upper surface of :40

upper surfaces of the safety-locking finger 85 of the link 84 is concentrically curved with respect to its pivot 12 for coaction with the subtantially similarly-shaped forward under edge of the safety-locking finger 86 of the safety member 16.

In addition to its being provided with the two laterally-extending fingers 56 and 58 through which the firing-plunger extends, the shiftingslide 57 is also provided with a laterally-extending shifting-finger Bl which is pierced for the sliding reception of the rear end of a plate-like spring-guide or plunger 83 and which has an upstanding lug 81 reciprocating in a guidegroove 8'1! formed in the under face of the uppertang 32 of the frame 20. Mounted upon the spring-guide 88 is a helical shiftingspring 89 bearing at its rear end against the forward face of the shifting-finger 8'? and at its forward end against a forwardly-facing abutment 90 formed upon the said spring-guide 88. The forward end of the said spring-guide 88 is laterally offset and fits within a rearwardly-opening socket 9! formed in the operating-head 36 of the operating-lever 35. As thus constructed and arranged, in addition to tending to urge the shifting-slide 51 rearwardly, the shifting-spring 89 also exerts through the intermediary of the forward end of the spring-guide 88 a force to turn the operatinghead 35 into position to align its operating-lever 35 with the firearm after the said operatinglever has been swung laterally to the right to retract the locking-nose 42 of the barrel-locking member 40.

For a better understanding of the operation of the parts above described, let it be presumed that the said parts are in the positions in which they are shown in Fig. 2, which are the positions which the said parts assume immediately after the firearm has been fired.

In order to prepare the gun for another shot, the operating-lever 35 may be swung laterally toward the right side of the firearm by suitable manual pressure and thus cause the operatinghead 36 thereof to turn and rock the barrellocking member 40 so as to withdraw its lockingnose 42 from the locking-notch 43 in the barrelcoupling lug 21 of the barrel 22. The described turning movement of the operating-head 36 will in addition to shifting the barrel-locking member 49 as before described, also force the springguide 88 rearwardly, with the effect of further tensioning the shifting-spring 89 and of causing the said spring-guide to shift the safety-slide rearwardly. This rearward movement of the safety-slide will bring the rear portion of the upper end of the safety-member l6 beneath the under surface of the upper-tang 32 and out of full registration with the slot Ti, thus locking the trigger 61 against further operation until the said safety-member 16 has been again shifted forwardly.

When the shifting-spring 89 is tensioned as above described it exerts an increased effort to shift the shifting-slide 51 rearwardly and hence acts through the tensioning-lever 41 to lift the rear end of the barrel 22 with respect to the frame 2!]. As soon now as a manual effort is made to swing the barrel-unit toward the position in which it is indicated by broken lines in Fig. 1 and by full lines in Fig. 3, the said shiftingspring 89 will act to assist this movement by urging the shifting-slide 5"! rearwardly. Inasmuch as the stop-flange 55 of the firing-plunger is engaged with the stop-finger 56 of the shifting-slide 51, the rearward movement of the said slide 51 will carry with it the firing-plunger 52 and force the tapered cocking-head 60 thereof rearwardly so that the same forces its way beneath the cocking-finger SI of the sear 62, which will swing upwardly until the said cockingfinger 6! is forward of the forward face of the cocking-head $0 whereupon it will swing downwardly to the position indicated in Fig. 3. The described rearward movement of the shiftingslide 51 also serves to rock the supporting-link fi l so as to bring its safety-locking finger beneath the safety-locking finger 86 of the safetymember 16, with the result that the said safetymember and hence the safety-slide 80 is locked in its safety position in which the trigger 61 cannot be actuated for firing the gun until the gun is fully closed and the said safety-slide is manually moved to the limit of its forward movement.

After a fresh cartridge has been inserted into the cartridge-chamber of the barrel 22 and finger pressure has been removed from the operating-lever 35, so that the same together with the barrel-locking member 40 may reassume their normal positions, the barrel-unit may be swung into its closed position as indicated in Fig. 4. The closing movement of the barrel-unit as just referred to will depress the arm 49 of the lever i! and cause the upstanding arm 48 thereof to forwardly force the finger 56 of the shiftingslide 51 and thereby shift the said slide forwardly. This shifting of the slide 51 will have the effect of compressing both the firing-spring 5| and the shifting-spring B9. The forward movement of the firing-plunger 52 being at this time prevented by the engagement of its cocking-head 60 with the cocking-finger 6! of the sear 62.

As the shifting-slide 51 moves forwardly as above described, the supporting-link 84 will be similarly rocked, so that its safety-locking finger 85 is moved out of the path of the safety-lockmg nnger 8b 01 the safety-member I6 to perin which they are shown in Fig. 4, in readiness for firing the gun as soon as the operator cares to shift the safety-slide 8B forwardly and subsequently pull the trigger 61.

When the finger-piece I3 is pulled rearwardly after the safety-member 18 has been swung forwardly into full registration with the slot 11 in the upper-tang 32, the movement of the said finger-piece will rock the trigger 6'! about its pivot-pin 72 and hence swing the sear 62 so as to disengage its cocking-finger 6| from the cocking-head 6B of the firing-plunger 52. The firing-plunger is thus released to the action of the now tensioned firing-spring 58 which will snap the same forwardly, with the effect of firing the cartridge in the rear end of the barrel 22.

As the firing-plunger 52 approaches the limit of its forward movement, just above described, its stop-flange 55 will engage with the rear face of the stop-finger 56 of the shifting-slide 51 and carry the same forwardly with it against the tension of the shifting-spring 89 until the said finger 58 strikes against the adjacent rear face of the barrel-locking member ll by which the forward movement of both the firing-plunger 52 and the shifting-slide El will be checked. As soon as the forward movement of the shifting-slide has been checked as described, the shiftingspring 89 will assert itself and move the said slide and the said firing-plunger rearwardly to a slight degree to the positions in which they are indicated in Fig. '2. The firearm is now in readiness for a repetition of the cycle of loading and firing as above described.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A firearm including in combination: a firing-plunger; a sear for releasably holding the said firing-plunger in its cocked position; a trigger movable with respect to and controlling the said sear; a firing-spring encircling the said fir- 'ing-plunger; a shiftable member having a portion positioned to limit the firing movement of the said firing-plunger; and spring-means urging the said shiftable member in a direction opposite to the firing movement of the said firingplunger and serving to shift the said firing-plunger and the firing-spring carried thereby in the direction required to engage the said firingplunger with the said sear.

2. A firearm including in combination: a firingplunger; a sear for releasably holding said firing-plunger in its cocked position; a trigger movable with respect to and controlling the said sear; a firing-spring urging the said firingplunger into it firing position; and means serving to shift the said firing-plunger into position for engagement by the said sear including a shiftable-abutment constructed and arranged to receive the thrust of the said firing-spring and engaged by the said firing-plunger for being shifted rearwardly thereby, and a spring urging the said shiftable-abutment toward the said sear.

3. A firearm including in combination: a firing-member; a sear for releasably holding said firing-member in its cocked position; a firingspring urging the said firing-member into its firing position; and means serving to shift the said firing-member into position for engagement by the said sear including a firing-member shifter having two spaced-apart abutments, one of which abutments is engaged by the said firing-member for limiting the firing movement thereof and the other of which abutments receives the thrust of the said firing-spring, and spring-means acting through the said firing-member shifter to urge the said firing-member into position for engagement by the said sear.

4. A firearm including in combination: a firing-member; a scar for releasably holding said firing-member in its cocked position; a firingspring carried by the said firing-member and urging the said firing-member into its firing position; and means serving to shift the said firing-member into position for engagement by the said sear including a firing-member shifter having two spaced-apart abutments, one of which abutments is engaged by the said firing-member for limiting the firing movement thereof and the other of which abutments receives the thrust of the said firing-spring, and spring-means acting through the said firing-member shifter to urge the said firing-member into position for engagement by the said sear.

5. In a breakdown firearm, the combination with a butt-unit and a complementary barrelunit movable with respect to the said butt-unit; of a firing-member; a sear for releasably holding said firing-member in its cocked position; a firing-spring urging the said firing-member into its firing position; means serving to shift the said firing-member into position for engagement by the said sear including a firing-member shifter having two spaced-apart abutments, one of which abutments is engaged by the said firing-member for limiting the firing movement thereof and the other of which abutments receives the thrust of the said firing-spring, and spring-means acting through the said firingmember shifter and urging the said firing-member into position for engagement by the said scar; and means operatively interconnecting the said firing-member shifter and the barrel-unit, constructed and arranged in a manner to cause the upward swinging movement of the said barrelthe other of which abutments receives. the thrust of the said firing-spring, and spring-means acting through the said firing-member shifter and urging the said firing-member into position for engagement by the said scar; and a shifting-lever pivoted intermediate its opposite ends and operatively interconnecting the said firing-member shifter and the barrel-unit, constructed and arranged in a manner'to cause the upward swinging movement of the said barrel-unit to move the said firing-member shifter away from the said sear.

'7. In a breakdown firearm, the combination with a butt-unit and a barrel-unit pivoted for movement with respect to the said butt-unit; of locking-means for locking the two said units in normal alignment, including a manual operatinglever; a firing-member; a sear for releasably holding the said firing-member in its cocked position; a firing-spring urging the said firingmember into its firing position; and doubleacting spring-means having one of its ends urging the said operating-lever into its locking position, and having its opposite end operatively connected with the said firing-member and urging the same into position for engagement by the said sear.

8. In a breakdown firearm, the combination with a butt-unit and a complementary barrelunit pivoted to the said butt-unit; of a reciprocating firing-plunger; a sear for releasably holding the said firing-plunger in its cocked position; a firing-spring encircling and urging the said firing-plunger into its firing position; and a spring-abutment movable with respect to the said firing-plunger and the said firing-spring and having a portion against which the said firingspring thrusts; connecting-means operatively connecting the said spring-abutment to the said barrel-unit and constructed and arranged to energize the said firing-spring by the relative pivotal movement of the said barrel-unit with respect to the butt-unit.

9. In a break down firearm, the combination with a butt-unit and a complementary barrelunit pivoted to the said butt-unit; of a reciprocating firing-plunger; a sear for releasably holding the said firing-plunger in its cocked position; a firing-spring encircling and urging the said firing-plunger into its firing position; a spring abutment movable with respect to the said firing-plunger and the firing-spring and provided with a portion against which the said firingspring thrusts; connecting-means operatively connecting the said spring-abutment to the said barrel-unit and constructed and arranged to energize the said firing-spring by the relative pivotal movement of the said barrel-unit with respect to the butt-unit; and second springmeans urging the said spring-abutment in a direction opposite to the direction in which it is shifted by the movement of the two said units.

10. In a breakdown firearm, the combination With a butt-unit and a complementary barrelunit movable with respect to the said butt-unit; of a firing-member; a scar for releasably holding the said firing-member in its cocked position; a shiftable firing-spring tensioning-member having two spaced-apart abutments; a firing-spring urging the said firing-member into its firing position and confined between the respective abutments of the said shiftable tensioning-member; and means operatively connecting the said firingspn'ng tensioning-member with the said barrelunit, whereby the movement of the latter with respect to the butt-unit efiects the shifting of the said tensioning-member.

11. In a breakdown firearm, the combination with a butt-unit and a complementary barrelunit movable with respect to the said butt-unit; of a firing-member; a sear for releasably holding the said firing-member in its cocked position; a shiftable firing-spring tensioning-member having two spaced-apart abutments; a firing-spring urging the said firing-member into its firing position and confined between the respective abutments of the said shiftable tensioning-member; means operatively connecting the said firing-spring tensioning-member with the said barrel-unit, whereby the movement of the latter with respect to the butt-unit effects the shifting of the said tensioning-member in a direction required to cause the same to project the said firing-member forwardly; and second spring-means urging the said tensioning-member into its retired position.

12. In a breakdown firearm, the combination with a butt-unit and a complementary barrelunit movable with respect to the said buttunit; of a firing-member; a sear for releasably holding the said firing-member in its cocked position; a shiftable firing-spring tensioningmember having two spaced-apart abutments; a firing-spring urging the said firing-member into its firing position and confined between the respective abutments of the said shiftable tensioning-member; and a firing-spring tensioninglever constructed and arranged to be actuated by the relative movement between the two said units and operatively connected to the said firing-spring tensioning-lever to eiTect the movement thereof into position for tensioning the said firing-spring.

13. In a breakdown firearm, the combination with a butt-unit and a complementary barrelunit movable with respect to the said butt-unit; of a firing-member; a sear for releasably holding the said firing-member in its cocked position; a shiftable firing-spring tensioning-member having two spaced-apart abutments; a firing-spring urging the said firing-member into its firing position and confined between the respective abutments of thesaid shiftable tensioning-member; a firing-spring tensioning-lever constructed and arranged to be actuated by the relative movement between the two said units and operatively connected to the said firing-spring tensioninglever to efiect the movement thereof into position for tensioning the said firing-spring; and second spring-means urging the said firingspring tensioning-member in a direction opposite to the direction in which it is shifted by the said tensioning-lever,

GEORGE S. LEWIS. 

